PHILADELPHIA – Kenyon Martin admits the All-Star Game would be nice. But the Olympics would be even better.

“Playing in the Olympics, man, that’s a dream. If I get asked to play, I wouldn’t turn it down,” said Martin, who was a member of the 2001 gold medal winning U.S. team in the Goodwill Games in Australia. “I guess once you’ve been in the USA Basketball, I guess your name comes up a little bit for the Olympics. Like I said, if they’d ask me to play, I’d play.”

So last night was important to play well, and he did with his seventh double-double (24 points, career best 16 rebounds), because Sixer coach Larry Brown also is the Olympic coach. During a recent conference call when names were tossed about, Brown said Martin was mentioned positively.

“The committee just mentioned to me certain guys that have extended themselves, asking to be on the Olympic team. There were some interesting guys, said Brown, who noted of Martin “his name was mentioned. He got a favorable response from everybody. But again, that’s the committee’s process. I’ve heard so many of the kids, players in the league, have come up to me and told me they wanted to play.”

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Byron Scott was obviously ticked with the play of his bench, Rodney Rogers and Anthony Johnson each played just six minutes, all in the first half.

“I thought the second quarter, when I brought in A.J., Rodney and Twin (starter Jason Collins) we had a big time fall off,” Scott said. “I told them at halftime, ‘I don’t want to play my starters 48 minutes, but if we keep getting the type of productivity we’ve been getting, that’s what I’m going to have to do.”

Rogers, asked about his season-low six minutes, said simply, “You’ve got to talk to the coach about that. I can’t answer it.”

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Former Nets GM John Nash, who breeds thoroughbreds, has named one in honor of Martin – Bearcat Kenyon.

Martin, who played in college for the Cincy Bearcats, autographed a picture of the horse for Nash.